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2016 Mazda CX-9 Accurately Rendered with Koeru Styling Elements

Mazda has made the surprise announcement earlier today that the all-new CX-9 will make its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show, a little sooner than everybody expected.
2016 Mazda CX-9 Rendering 3 photos
Photo: RM.Design
2016 Mazda CX-92016 Mazda CX-9
It's undoubtedly going to appeal to a lot of people who value driving pleasure and style but can't afford to spend upwards of $54,000 for a BMW X5.

We were obviously given a hint of the new SUV's design language through a cool official sketch that came out of the Montousse design studio in California.

But we also discovered a set of renderings from graphic artist RM Design that we think closely match the lines of the all-new CX-9. To back the claim, we're also providing the only clear spy video of the pre-production prototype, dating back to August 2015.

The video shows a mule with the CX-9 front end and the back of the smaller CX-5, so don't be confused by the look of those taillights.

Obviously, both the teaser sketch and the renderings have a lot in common with the Koeru design study that Mazda showed at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The major difference is that the body is longer and features a much taller greenhouse structure.

This Miata for seven people will compete with the Ford Explorer and Toyota Highlander, while also covering the gap left by the Mazda5 minivan (it's not getting another model year).

We think it's going to look at least as good as the Mercedes GLS, which will also make its debut at the LA Auto Show, coincidently.

The Germans will try to wow us with all sorts of turbocharged wonders, but rumors have it that Mazda will show its own. Instead of continuing to work with Ford's old 3.7-liter V6, the CX-9 will adopt forced induction. A 2.5-liter Skyactiv-G unit should send about 300 horsepower to the AWD system via a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

Don't expect any true trucking capabilities from this crossover utility vehicle. A sexy profile should also result in slightly compromised visibility. But hey, you can't have it all.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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